Marketing Strategies

I could have gone on forever writing this blog post. There are so many great apps for your phone that you can download today to help your small business get more organized. It was hard to narrow it down, but I didn't want to write a 15 page post. I don't have time to write it and you don't have time to read it. So boom, let's keep it simple and get on with it!

Whether your small business is running a blog or selling handmade jewelry on Etsy, these apps are going to be a game changer. All of them are available on both iOS and Android phones.

PLANN (Formerly Plan Your Gram)

Man, I had never been so excited for an app to be released as I had been for this one. I first got wind of this app in one of the business Facebook groups I'm in and I kept checking my emails waiting for it to be live. Guess what guys? It's live! It's brand new and even though I have only been playing with it a short time, I am confident in it's ability.

PLANN is a great new app that allows you to curate and organize your Instagram feed. I was one of the many who were using VSCO to plan mine, but then they put out an update a few months ago and did away with it. I was freaking devastated. Ahhhhh.

I had tried Planoly, and kind of tried to use Later, and well any other that came my way, but just could not justify the monthly cost some of these were charging! Plus they didn't do exactly what I needed.

Not only can you move your pics around and really get a good idea how you want your feed to go, but you can schedule your posts within the app. It is an essential social media tool. If you have an Instagram account for your business (and you effin should!) then you neeeeeeeed this asap. PLANN does come with a one time fee ($8.99/£6.75) to download but it is a business investment you won't be sorry about. (UPDATE* AUTUMN 2017, They have changed their payment plan to a monthly one, but it is still the cheapest one on the market)

I've got a few business accounts so I am looking forward to their promised updates of being able to organize and design more than one account as well as already pull from your current Instagram feed. Download it now.

CANVA

This is another app that has just been released lately too. It's no secret that I use Canva a lot for myself and my clients. It is a great tool to create stunning and clean designs that you can use for almost every social media channel you have. Consistency is key in business branding and Canva makes it almost too easy for you. Seriously, you have no excuse.

Up until a few weeks ago, you could only access it through their website Canva.com - (and an Ipad app which I just learned about) BUT NOT NOW.

It's is free to download and use which is awesome but it is so worth the money to upgrade to a business account. You are able to do a hell of a lot more with a business account. You can save your images and resize them for Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook in seconds. You can store your branding colors and fonts so every image is consistent. You can also access your saved images on the app, and vice versa. Anything you create on the app saves to be accessed through their website.

Now that I can access my Canva account on my phone, I have been able to create images away from my computer and on the go (like sitting next to my toddler), which has boosted productivity for me. Download it now.

A COLOR STORY

I've tried so many freaking photo editing apps in the past several years. This one though, has fast become my favorite.

It has made it a lot easier for me to get my whites whiter and my colors to pop more. Ultimately we want apps to make things easier for us and this photo editing one does just that. I don't claim to be a trained photographer, but this app has worked wonders for my photos and really changed the quality for the better. Free to download, comes with some great filters already, but you can buy filter packs to add to your collection. Download it now.

BIT.LY

I love analytics. I love stats. I hate analytics. I hate stats.

I use a combination of programs and sites to really dig deep into my site stats and analytics but the easiest way to track them is by using

If you don't know what Bitly is, it is a handy site that allows you to take your crazy long link produced when creating you blog post for example and shortening it into something super sweet. Example, bit.ly/YouAreAUnicorn

Once you have created your bitly, you can share that link instead and really see where traffic is coming from. It is perfect for placing in your Instagram profiles or Twitter, or anywhere really that you want to analyze more.

I take the geek level up a notch and use bit.lys throughout my websites so I can see if my Call To Actions telling you to click here are really working (spoiler, they are).

TRELLO

Last but not least is Trello, the project management software I personally use to keep myself organized.

I don't always have time to sit in front of my computer and work (sigh), so I sometimes have to take 5 minutes of work where ever and whenever I can. Trello makes it just a little bit easier to get a grasp on all the different projects and collaborations I am working on.

Listen, it doesn't have to be Trello, there are lots of other options out there, but for me, it is what has worked the best for my method of madness. It syncs with my work on the computer as well as notifies me when one of my team members updates.

I know am barely scratching the surface with what Trello is capable of, but I like it, and I invite you to check it out yourself.

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming and you are in desperate need of finding some more ways to help streamline your business, get in touch. Let's have a conversation and get you back on track.

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